adminSibusiso Gcabashe, of eMaqongqo in Pietermaritzburg, shocked South Africans in January when he popped up amid huge national and international media frenzy, claiming that he was Mgqumeni, who had died after a short illness in December 2009.
Mgqumeni was buried in January 2010 at Mpofana, a rural area in Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Gcabashe’s claims attracted people from as far as Lesotho, Swaziland and across South Africa’s different provinces, who flocked to Nquthu to get a glimpse of him and to see for themselves whether or not Mgqumeni had indeed returned from the dead.
During his first public appearance, Gcabashe claimed that he had been held captive in a cage by a traditional healer who wanted to turn him into a zombie.
He also claimed, much to the disapproval and endorsement of some people, that he was forced to eat soil mixed with milk.
But he was later arrested after fingerprints showed that he was not Mgqumeni.
He appeared in the Nquthu Magistrate’s Court and was charged with fraud and perjury.
During his first court appearance on 8 February, Gcabashe was referred for psychiatric observation.
He was admitted to Madadeni Mental Hospital, but a psychiatrist advised the court to get a second observation, this time at Fort Napier Mental Hospital in Pietermaritzburg.
On Tuesday, Gcabashe was remanded in police custody because the doctor’s report on his mental state had not yet been completed.
The court postponed the case to next Wednesday when it is hoped the results would be available. He is also expected to make a formal bail application next week. — Sowetan.
Online Reporter